Stow City Civil Service Commission approves fire lieutenant promotional exam, sets tentative spring dates

The Stow City Civil Service Commission voted to proceed with a promotional examination for fire lieutenant during its regular meeting. The commission approved a motion to move forward with written testing and an assessment center to fill a lieutenant vacancy.

The vote followed a presentation by Fire Chief Stowen, who said the department needs to fill a lieutenant slot after an officer accepted an assistant chief position with Olmsstead Township Fire Department. “We used Ramsey and Associates for the written exam, and we used Ohio Fire Chiefs Association for the assessment center,” Fire Chief Stowen said, adding that both vendors had worked “very well” for prior promotional processes.

The commission was told the department must post a bibliography 75 days before the exam and post the exam itself at least 60 days before the test date. Chief Stowen said tentative dates under consideration would fall in April or May and that Ramsey’s price rose by $20 per reference while the assessment-center fee remained the same.

Votes at a glance: the commission approved the motion to proceed with the lieutenant promotional examination. In the roll call recorded on the record, Lindsay Campbell voted yes; a commissioner identified as Spring voted yes; and a commissioner identified as Ovidani voted yes. The motion carried.

What happened next: Commissioners directed staff and the fire department to proceed with scheduling and vendor coordination under the posting timeline the commission follows. Fire Department staff will post the required bibliography and exam announcements and work with the commission on logistics.

The commission’s approval starts the formal promotional process; candidates will receive the bibliography and exam posting according to the 75/60-day schedule outlined by staff. The department expects to follow the usual written-exam plus assessment-center structure used in prior promotional cycles.